Hand-tool.



J. H. BALDWIN.

HAND TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1913.

1,1 19,791. Patented Dec. 8, 1914 I [m/embr V/{Z/zesses JHBfl NITE JOHNH. BALDWIN, F SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURT.

HAND-TOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8,1914.

Application filed. November 24, 1913. Serial No. 802,841.

'1 '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. BALDWIN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county ofGreene and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Hand-Tools, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hand tools, andparticularly toa single appliance adapted for use eitheras a wrench or as wire cuttersand pliers or tongs.

My object is to produce a convenient tool of this character having jaws,in which pro vision is made for readily adjusting the jaws when the toolis usedas a wrench, for any size intermediate the maximum and minimumsizes for which the tool is adapted without movement of the handles,which may be closed together or spaced apart as desired. The improvedconstruction also enables one ;of the handles of the tool, when used aspliers, to be adjusted to dispose the handles at the proper distanceapart to permit the workman to manipulate and hold them to the bestadvantage.

WVith these objects in view, my invention comprises various novel andpeculiar details of construction and organization, all as hereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out in the appended claims; and toafford a full and complete understanding.

thereof, reference will be had to the accom panying drawing, in which-Figure 1, is a plan view of the tool showing it in closed position,andalso illustrating in dotted lines the adjustable jaw in a differentposition of adjustment. Figs. 2, 8, and 4: are perspective views ofcertain portions of the device,and Fig. 5, is a detail plan view, partlyin section, and broken away, of the handle member which carries theadjustable jaw.

Referring to the drawing, 2 indicates one of the handles provided with afixed jaw, 4, 2'. 0., fixed with relation to the handle carrying it. Theother handle 6 carries the adjustable jaw 8, the handles and jaws bebothof said j aws having both flat and ribbed portions as shown, to adaptthem to be used either as a wrench or as pliers. The pivot head 10 ofthe handle 2 is about onehalf as thick as the handle and is flush at itsouter side therewith, and at its inner side is equipped with a recess 12receiving and providing angular play for the pivot lug 14 of the handle6. A companion recess 16 for accommodating this ivot lug is also formedin the inner face of the pivot head 18 of the adjustable jaw S, whichhead 18 is about. one-half as thick as its jaw and flush at its outerside therewith so that the two heads when fitted together correspond inthickness with the jaws and handles. A rivet 20, or equivalent means, isemployed for securing the parts together in pivotal relation, said rivetpassing through the openings 22, 24, and 26 provided in the parts 10,14; and 18 respectively.

At the base of the pivot lug, the handle 6 is provided with a pair oflugs 26 and 28, forming between them a socket in which to mount a worm3O, having a suitable bore for ournaling the same upon a pin 32 passedthrough said lugs, said pin being threadedly engaged with the lug 28 andhaving its head cormtersunk in the lug 26. The worm 30 is so positionedas to engage a series of teeth 34L provided on the rear edge of thepivot head 18, the teeth being arranged in a circle about the axis ofthe rivet 20 as a center. The thread of the worm is suitably knurled, asshown in Fig. 1, to facilitate the manipu lation thereof by band.

From theforegoing it will be apparent that by proper manipulation oftheworm 30, the jaw 8 may be readily adjusted, in order to adjust thetool as a wrench to any desired size intermediate the largest andsmallest sizes for which the tool is adapted,--as illustrated forexample by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. By this means, the tool is givena largely varied capacity, as well as great facility of operation.Besides affording this case of adjustment to different sizes as awrench, the same advantages apply to its use as pliers, since it isreadily seen that the handles may quickly be closed together or locatedthedesired distance apart so that the workman may operate them to thebest advantage.

The usual recesses 36 are provided in the heads 10 and 18 adjacent thebase of each jaw, for the purpose of cutting wire. I further providemeans for definitely limiting the maximum spread of the jaws, whichmeans comprises forwardly facing shoulders 38 and to formed on the head10 and designed to engage respectively with rearwardly facing shoulders42 and 4A formed on the head 18 of the movable jaw. This afiords astrong construction whereby the jaw 8 is shouldered for its entirewidth, half of it, at shoulder 42 bearing directly on shoulder 88 whilethe other half at shoulder 44 bears against shoulder 10, the jaw S istherefore definitely and firmly supported against any further movementwhen used in wide-open position as a wrench.

YVhile I have illustrated and described what 1 now believe to be thepreferred form of the invention, I reserve the right to suchmodifications and variations thereof as may fairly fall within the scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a tool, the combination with a jaw, a head and a handle in fixedrelation, the head being of less thickness than the handle and aw, andthe handle having a laterallyoifset front end at one side of the headproviding a forwardly-facing shoulder, and the head having a similarlyfacing shoulder between the handle shoulder and the rear end of the jawand at the same side of the center of the head as the handle shoulder;of a second jaw and head, the latter fitting flatly against thefirst-named head andbeing pivoted thereto, said second head having aperipheral rearwardly-facing shoulder to abut against the forwardlyfacing shoulder of the handle, and the second jaw having a rearwardlyfacing shoulder to abut against the forwardly facing shoulder of thehead, the two sets of shoulders conjointly providing stops for the fullwidth of the tool whereby to limit the separating adjustments of thejaws.

2. In a tool, the combination with a jaw, a head and a handle in fixedrelation, the head being of less thickness than the handle and jaw andthe handle having a laterallyoffset front end at one side of the headproviding a forwardly-facing shoulder, and the head having a similarlyfacing shoulder between the handle shoulder and the rear end of the jawand at the same side of the center of the head as the handle shoulder;of a second jaw and head, the latter fitting flatly against the firstnamed head and being pivoted thereto, said second head having aperipheral rearwardly-facing shoulder to abut against the forwardlyfacing shoulder of the handle, and the second jaw having a rearwardlyfacing shoulder to abut against the forwardly facing shoulder of thehead, the two sets of shoulders conjointly providing stops for the fullwidth of the tool whereby to limit the separating adjustments of thejaws, a handle pivoted to said head, and means carried by said secondhandle for locking the same in rigid relation to the said second head,so that pivotal movement of said handle shall be accompanied by likemovement of said head, said means being independently movable to rotatesaid head and cause its jaw to move toward or from the first-named jawindependently of movement of the handle.

3. In a tool the combination with a jaw, a head and a handle in fixedrelation, the head being of less thickness than the handle and jaw andthe handle having a laterally offset front end at one side of the headproviding a forwardly facing shoulder and the head having a similarlyfacing shoulder between the handle shoulder and the rear end of the jawand at the same side of the center of the head as the handle shoulder;of a second jaw and head, the latter fitting flatly against thefirst-named head and being pivoted thereto, said second head having aperipheral rearwardly facing shoulder to abut against the forwardlyfacing shoulder of the handle, and the second jaw having a rearwardlyfacing shoulder to abut against the forwardly facing shoulder of thehead, the two sets of shoulders conjointly providing stops for the fullwidth of the tool whereby to limit the separating adjustments of thejaws, a handle pivoted to said head, said second head having peripheralteeth, and a worm carried rotatably by said second handle and meshingwith the teeth of said head. 7

4:. In a combination wrench and pliers, the combination of a pair ofhandles pivoted together, a jaw carried by each of said handles, one ofsaid jaws being adjustable angularly with reference to its handle, saidadjustable j aw having a pivot head provided with a series of teetharranged concentric with the pivotal axis of said adjustable jaw, a pairof lugs carried by the last-mentioned handle adjacent its pivot, a pinmounted in said lugs, and a worm j ournaled on said pin in mesh withsaidteeth for adjusting said adjustable jaw.

5. In a tool, he combination with a circular head having at oppositepoints a forwardly projecting jaw and a rearwardly projecting handle,the said head and other parts being flush at their outer sides, and saidhead being about half the thickness of said jaw and handle; a secondcircular headfitting flatly against the first and provided with aforwardly projecting jaw of the same dimensions as the first-named jaw,the said head being about half the thickness of its jaw and at its outerside flush with the outer side of the latter; a second handle having aforwardly projecting lug fitting between said heads, a pivot connectingthe heads and said lug together, parallel lugs projecting laterally fromthe lug-carrying handle, and a worm carried by and arranged between saidparallel lugs,- the said second jaw having peripheral teeth meshing withsaid worm and pivotally movable through movement of the handles orthrough rotation of said worm.

6. A tool comprising a handle having a rigid jaw at its front extremity,a handle having a lug at its front extremity overlapping the first-namedhandle, a pivot extending through the first-named handle and the lug ofthe other handle, a second jaw mounted on the same pivot *as thehandles, and cooperatively disposed with reference to the first jaw, andprovided with teeth extending concentrically of said pivot and arrangedat the opposite side of the same from the jaws, and a worm carried bythe handle provided with the lug and intermeshing with the said teethand adapted when its carrying handle is moved to pivotally operate thesecond jaw and when rotated around its own axis to impart ivotal actionto said jaw independent of sai carryinghandle.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signa ture, in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN H. BALDWIN. Witnesses:

LUCY H. OWEN, IdQL. OWEN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner oi! Patents,

Washington, D. 0."

